The Center for Intercultural Studies at will sponsor a interdisciplinary conference "Perspectives on Interculturality" Thursday and Friday, Feb. 28-March 1, in Pere Marquette Gallery in DuBourg Hall.

The intercultural occurs in the space between two or more distinct cultures that encounter each other, an area where they negotiate reciprocal relationships. A better understanding of interactions between different human groups is a major challenge of our time. A half-century of critique of the concept of culture has made significant contributions, including foregrounding ethnocentrism as a source of research bias across disciplines; incorporating power into cultural studies; and expanding scholarship on cultures beyond ethno-linguistically defined groups.

Likewise, study of processes that transcend group divisions — globalization, empire, neo-colonialism – has flourished. Meanwhile, understanding mechanisms of interactions between cultures has not kept pace. Intercultural studies are due for reflection and refinement. The conference brings together scholars of diverse disciplines to reflect on the current state of knowledge about these mechanisms, with the goal of assembling a theoretical and methodological toolbox for researching and understanding the intercultural.